Humor Archives - Page 6 of 8 - Introverted Reader

Fluke by Christopher Moore: Book Review

Nate Quinn has spent his entire professional career following humpback whales around the ocean, trying to find out exactly why the males sing. He's currently in Hawaii, where the whales spend the winter, still researching. His world is rocked on the day that he is taking pictures of one singer and sees BITE ME clearly written across the whale's tail. Did he imagine it? Was it there? Surely he got a picture of it. He heads back in to get his film developed, only to find that someone has completely trashed his lab. So begins a lot of inexplicable events. Oh my gosh. I'm pretty sure Fluke just replaced A Dirty Job as my favorite Moore novel, and I can't help but wonder if it's because I listened to Fluke. I have never been interested in audio books. I don't take things in all that well just by listening. I've tried them a time or two, and while I found them interesting at the time, I never had any desire to turn the book back on and finish it. Then, about 6 months ago, I realized how much my new job was eating into my reading time. Out of desperation, I tried an audio book during my commute, and I haven't looked back. I'm now one of those people who sits in my driveway listening to my book, because I have to know what happens next. Still, the printed word is my first love. I wasn't too sure about this narrator, Bill Irwin, at first. His voice was a little dry. It didn't seem to fit Moore's laugh-out-loud, over-the-top, usually raunchy humor. Oh, but I was wrong. Somehow it was even funnier. I would be driving along, something outrageous would come out of this guy's mouth, and I'm looking around,…

The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan: Book Review

Annabeth has finally gotten her own quest. She must lead a group through the Labyrinth to find Daedalus, its creator, and ask for help defending the camp from Luke and Kronos's minions. She's only supposed to ask two people to help her, but she insists that Percy, Grover, and Tyson all come along. Of course the Labyrinth is as confusing as expected, full of traps, pitfalls, and Kronos's monsters. I was glad to have Annabeth back! I really missed her in The Titan's Curse, and this time she was practically the star of the show. But she's crazy-jealous and that did get a little old. I don't blame her. But, still, this is Annabeth. I don't associate insecurity with her. I don't know that I have a whole lot different to say from my reviews of the other books in the series. I still love these characters, I still love Percy's narration, and I still frantically turn pages to get to the end. I did love the way Daedalus and the Labyrinth were portrayed. I had forgotten that he created the Labyrinth in the first place. The emotion in these "kid's books" always surprises me. There's the adrenaline from the battles and humor from Percy being a smartass. But this one had some genuinely sad and bittersweet moments too. Again, highly recommended for "kids" of all ages. My reviews of The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters and The Titan's Curse. Read an excerpt. Find author Rick Riordan on his website, his blog, Twitter, and Facebook. Buy The Battle of the Labyrinth at Malaprop’s | Better World Books I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore, and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links…

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones: Book Review

"In the land of Ingary, where such things as seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three. Everyone knows you are the one who will fail first, and worst, if the three of you set out to seek your fortunes." So begins Howl's Moving Castle. Our protagonist, Sophie Hatter, is well aware of the fate awaiting the oldest child. But circumstances force her to set out to seek her fortune despite the fact that she is the oldest of three daughters. This is one of those books that reminds you of the magic that made you fall in love with reading in the first place. Just look at that opening paragraph. Who can resist the lure of that? I immediately felt it calling me on to find out what does happen to the eldest. Overall, this was a charming fairy tale. And like all good fairy tales, everyone comes out a little wiser in the end. But what I really liked about this particular fairy tale is that Sophie was not a helpless maiden in distress. She was saved from quite a few jams, but she did just as much saving with her quick wits. But at the same time, she was a flawed character who made mistakes but ultimately learned from them. This was one of those books that left me with a satisfied smile at the end. I think it would be fun for both the young and the young-at-heart. I highly recommend it and I'll be looking for the sequel. Reviewed April 6, 2009 Read an excerpt. Read my review of Castle in the Air, the next book in the loose series. My Character Connection post about Sophie. Buy Howl's Moving Castle at Malaprop’s |…

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan: Book Review

Something is wrong at Camp Half-Blood. Can Percy fix it? I loved the first in the series, and I really, really liked this one. But I would have preferred to have an original story within the framework of Greek mythology in the modern world rather than have a re-telling of The Odyssey, no matter how original. Because that's what this amounted to. The Odyssey, starring Percy Jackson and set in the 21st century. I know this is a kid's book, but the foreshadowing in here was very clunky. "I didn't know it at the time, but my mom and I would never get to have our afternoon talk. In fact, I wouldn't be seeing home for a long, long time." See? There's really no other word but clunky. I love Percy as a storyteller. He can be dry, infantile, hilarious, sarcastic, reflective, you name it. Everything a great character should be. But his humor probably isn't for everyone. Here's a description I loved: "I could smell the [monster]--a sickening combination of wet sheep wool and rotten meat and that weird sour body odor only monsters have, like a skunk that's been living off Mexican food." Juvenile? Yes. My sense of humor? Absolutely. And let's not forget the chapter titles. "Demon Pigeons Attack" "Party Ponies Invade" Curious? You should be. But there is a slightly more serious thread underneath all this that helps Percy learn the value of family, and reinforces the value of friendship. There's a new character introduced here: Tyson. I loved this little guy. This is a very strong continuation of the series and I highly recommend them. Reviewed May 25, 2009 My review of The Lightning Thief. Read an excerpt. Find author Rick Riordan on his website, his blog, Twitter, and Facebook. Buy The Sea of Monsters…

Three To Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich: Book Review

In bounty hunter Stephanie Plum's latest escapade, she's sent to bring in "Uncle Mo," the local candy store owner who has to appear in court for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. Everybody in Trenton does it, Mo was just the one who got caught. But Uncle Mo doesn't want to come in. And whenever Stephanie finds him, she seems to get shot at or find a body soon afterward. What the heck has Uncle Mo gotten himself into? I think that you just have to love Stephanie Plum. She's funny, she's in over her head, and she's tormented by gorgeous smartass, Joe Morelli. And she says things like this: "Ranger declined the butterscotch pudding, not wanting to disrupt the consistency of his blood sugar level. I had two puddings and coffee, choosing to keep my pancreas at peak performance. Use it or lose it is my philosophy." " Ranger stripped off his sweatshirt. 'Adequate is being able to run five miles. How are you going to catch the bad guys if you can't outrun them?' 'Connie gives the bad guys who can run to you. I get the fat, out-of-shape bad guys.'" My soul sister! Morelli is sexy as ever, but he seems to be a little detached from Stephanie and she's not sure she likes it. I'm not sure I like it either. I like me some Morelli. But there is a little more Ranger. Ranger seems a bit...intense for me. But he is there to help Stephanie when she asks for it, and that counts for a lot. And then he threw out a random Carl Sandburg quote. Is there more to Ranger than meets the eye? I'm willing to find out! Lula and Grandma Mazur absolutely crack me up. Grandma is lying a little low in…

Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich: Book Review

Stephanie Plum is back and this time she's trying to hunt down Kenny Mancuso. Kenny shot one of his best friends in the knee and then returned later to finish the job. With the help of Morelli, Ranger, and the ever-loveable Grandma Mazur, maybe Stephanie can catch Kenny before Kenny catches her. This book is just as fun and funny as the first of the series. Stephanie isn't a perfect heroine, but that's what makes her so appealing. And Morelli...what is there to say about Morelli? What a smokin' bad boy! Grandma Mazur makes a lengthier appearance in this book, and she is on a roll. Who wouldn't love a grandmother who can take a potshot at a pickup truck with a .45 without blinking? And who has Dirty Harry's famous speech memorized? Oh my gosh, she is too funny. If you like your mysteries with a dash of humor and a whole lot of spunk, pick these up. Reviewed November 10, 2008 My review of One for the Money. Read an excerpt. Find author Janet Evanovich on her website, Facebook, and Twitter. Buy Two for the Dough at Malaprop’s | Better World Books Friday Flashback Reviews are a weekly feature here on The Introverted Reader. These are old reviews I wrote on GoodReads. Thanks to Angieville and her Retro Friday Reviews for the inspiration and encouragement!I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore, and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi: Book Review

4 Stars. I felt like I was sitting in this roomful of multi-generational women as they gossiped about themselves, each other, and friends they knew. I think all women have sat in a group like this, when there aren't any men around, and said just exactly what we really think. It's not all ladylike and demure. This is the chance [...]

Stiff by Mary Roach: Book Review

Chalk this up to a win for the GoodReads friends. I would never have picked this up on my own. A book about cadavers? How morbid can you be? Not to mention the heebie-jeebies that would be sure to haunt me throughout the book. But so many people have read this and raved about it that I decided to go ahead and give it a try. It's somehow hilarious. But not disrespectful. And odd. And hilarious. And hard to describe. With chapters ranging from human decay, to body snatching, live burial, and new ways to "dispose" of human remains, I never realized that there were so many aspects of death to think about. I can't say that I was completely comfortable with all the topics covered (I really don't need to know exactly what happens to a decomposing body), but neither did anything give me too bad a case of the heebie jeebies. I was surprised by how interesting I found most of the topics to be. There's a lot of history, anecdotes, trivia, and science crammed into this book. If you think you can handle it, and most people probably can, I recommend this for an upfront look at a topic most of us avoid. Read an excerpt. Find author Mary Roach on her website, her blog, and Twitter. I read this for my own Dewey Decimal Challenge. Buy Stiff at Malaprop’s | Better World Books I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore, and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore: Book Review

Charlie Asher is your average Beta Male. He owns a second-hand shop in San Francisco and rents out the apartments in the rest of the building to some kooky tenants. He has somehow managed to win the heart of beautiful Rachel and she has just given birth to their daughter Sophie when the book begins. Charlie can't believe his luck, and, with typical Beta Male imagination, believes that Sophie has eleven toes or a tail or something--good things just don't happen for Beta Males. After Sophie's birth, weird things start to happen to Charlie. People drop dead in front of him, objects glow with an eerie red light, and he hears evil voices coming from the sewer drains. Enter Mr. Minty Fresh. He explains what is going on to Charlie. Basically, they are Death Merchants. They collect objects from the dead and dying that are imbued with the dead person's soul. Then they hold onto the object until the soul's next owner comes along and buys it. If they screw up, or if they have contact with other Death Merchants, the Forces of Darkness will rise and the World As We Know It will end. No pressure. I think I had laughed out loud four times in the first four pages of this book. Moore's sense of humor is a perfect match for mine. I've been trying to think of the word to describe it. Not exactly crass or crude, it's more like the not-exactly-for-polite-company jokes that you make with your best friends and maybe even your family, but you probably wouldn't say in front of your in-laws or your boss. I had a few "I can't believe he had the nerve to write that!" moments in some of the funnier parts. Here are a couple of my favorite quotes:…

Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris: Book Review

My seven-year-old cousin and fellow lover-of-all-things-fairy, Natalie, convinced me to read this by reciting the cover blurb to me: "Part comedy, part love story, part everything-but-the-kitchen-sink." What fairy tale fan could resist that? Not this one! I loved that the defining characteristics of the characters weren't their beauty or lack thereof. Chris is intelligent, kind, and loyal. He's also an inventor. He's the first in the kingdom to use p-mail (pigeon mail). Princess Marigold is a reader, also intelligent and kind, and very concerned with making sure that she becomes a good strong ruler of her kingdom. She even asks commoners' opinions on the qualities that a good ruler should have! Even the minor characters are generally defined by their personalities, good or bad. Looks really didn't come into play at all. I found that a little refreshing. The story was a little predictable. We first meet Chris when he's a six-year-old runaway living in the woods. As he grows older, he starts to notice Princess Marigold, who he can watch as she reads on her terrace in the castle. He wants to be her friend, and he wants to know why she frequently looks unhappy. You can probably guess the general outline of the story, beginning to end, just from that. But there were still several surprises along the way that kept the story fresh. Ed the troll might have been my favorite character. Oh, I really liked Chris and Marigold, but Ed made me laugh. He loves to use common sayings, but he can never get them right. Here's one: "But now that you have your act on the ball, you can do better...All you have to do is keep your shoulder to the grindstone and your nose to the wheel." Too funny! And he's working hard to…